The Amazing Race Season 33 Power Rankings
The world has been waiting for this…
On January 5, 11 teams will kick off 2022 at Tribal Council Blog and begin the journey of a lifetime. Singing Police Officers, Educators, Influencers, YouTube Sensations, childhood friends, married couples, father/daughter superfans, and more will race around the world for the coveted million dollar prize and title of Amazing Race Season 33 Champion!
That means it is time to gear up and get ready because watching “The Amazing Race” is an experience in itself. No other show can bring the viewer into the passenger seat view as we follow our compelling teams (and storylines) across every continent and into the most remote corners of the world. Add to that getting the viewer’s competitive juices flowing because they are literally watching a race for a 1 million dollar prize, and also to tap into our rooting spirit cheering for or against teams. It’s all part of the experience. When you add up all these pieces and more (challenges, ups and downs, Phil, etc.) you get a truly “amazing” experience.
So, if the experience is already amazing, how could it get better? Glad you asked.
Below is my attempt to make this even more fun. But, before I get into explaining my rankings from 11-1, let me first make the case for what it takes to win.
Trait #1 - Competitiveness
People come on The Amazing Race for a lot of reasons. They do it to test their relationship, to see if they are compatible with the person they are dating, to share an experience, or to make their children proud. These are only a few but you get the point. And, these are all legitimate reasons to race and part of why we root for or against certain teams. However, there is a difference between the teams who race for those reasons and the teams who are competing to win. Competitiveness is crucial. All you have to do is watch the introductions of the teams or read the short bios and BOOM! you instantly can see who’s in it to compete and win and who’s not. Ultimately, I believe the people who are in it to compete and win the million above everything else, have an advantage.
Trait #2 - Athletic Ability
The race challenges competitors to complete activities of all kinds. Some require strength, some require intelligence, some require an iron stomach and some require just flat out how fast and how long can you run. The advantage goes to the athletes. Always.
The hectic conclusion to Season 2 of The Amazing Race is the best example I can think of for how athletic ability can literally win you $1,000,000. Does it matter most? Probably not. Does it matter at all? 100% yes!
Trait #3 - Endurance
The race pushes teams to experience a lifetime worth of traveling in a short period of time. Though that is amazing, it has the ability to wear teams out, especially older teams. In season 32 Frank and his pops Jerry, age 60, were long shots to make it far in the race because of Jerry’s limitations. He said so himself on The ReRACEables Podcast 7. Jerry knew his limitations, but also knew that if his son had someone young as a partner, that they would win. Nice combo of competitiveness and athletic ability. But these type of teams, though likeable, never really have the endurance to make it to the finish line other than to clap for the teams who could make it there.
Trait #4 - Know How
The next trait is the brain power/intelligence/social skills/savviness category that I call “know how”. You got to know how to read a map, drive stick, work with your partner, ask for help, navigate foreign places, follow another team, make an alliance, convince a local to come with you and be your tour guide, pay a taxi to drive to a destination so you can follow them, have a little bit of fun, or perhaps most importantly do whatever is necessary to avoid being the last to the mat and hearing Phil end your journey. I know this is a broad category but maybe it has to be. Ultimately, the teams that “know how” the best, like Will and James (season 32 champs) usually find their way to the top 3 and position themselves for a chance at the money.
Trait #5 - Luck
Alright, one more. Really quick. Let’s face it, luck is a factor in this race. Getting on or missing the flight, having the taxi driver who knows their way around just a liiiiiiiiiiiiittle bit better (see Kellie and LaVonne from season 32), or catching the subway in the nick of time can make the difference between winning the million and winning nothing. Like the expression says, “it’s better to be lucky than good”, well, that expression may have some merit on The Amazing Race, but if you want to hug Phil at the finish line, or in my case, predict who will hug Phil, best to pick the teams who you think are good instead of the ones who will need the most luck.
And now for the Season 33 rankings. (Note: My rankings are going solely off what I learned from the bios for each team on cbs.com, from videos from @theamazingrace on Instagram, and through the idea of “if the race were run 1,000 times, how likely/how many times would this team win?
Group A - THE NO CHANCERS - If the race was run 1,000 times, they would win 0 times.
11. Anthony Sadler (29) and Spencer Stone (29), childhood friends from Sacramento, CA.
CBS
Anyone who makes it onto The Amazing Race is going to be their version of amazing, but the story behind Anthony and Spencer is truly amazing. Childhood friends go on a European vacation, board a train to Paris, and end up stopping an ISIS terrorist from doing damage to the train of passengers. Like I said, amazing.
This team has an incredible story that has taken them to unique places and does so again on season 33 of The Amazing Race. I like that. How can anybody not? However, despite this incredible story of taking action in a moment’s notice that isn’t the only skill you need to win the race. Spencer thinks that “problem solving, quick thinking, and a good memory” is what is needed, and that may be true to some extent. However, if season 32 taught me anything, for when I’m on the race, quick thinking leads to costly mistakes, like READING THE CLUE! I think an oversight/silly mistake will lead these two down the pathway to an early exit.
Plus, something doesn’t add up when I try to project these two to the end of the race. Hard to put my finger on it exactly, but I think it’s this, they have had their “story” already. Right? I don’t think adding $1,000,000 via winning the Amazing Race is in their future. In fact, I think it could be over soon for these two everyday heroes because they’ve already had their million to one shot story happen.
10. Caro Viehweg (23) and Ray Gantt (25), Influencers from LA and Toms River, NJ.
CBS
The next team I have at the bottom of my rankings is Caro and Ray. Few reasons.
They are the youngest team and it shows.
They are “influencers”. 🙄
They are “Dating”?…Oh, they met on another reality show “Love Island” and found true love. No they didn’t.
My guess is that they have interesting personalities and are definitely good looking people for screens everywhere, but that’s about it. I think the chances of them winning are the same as their relationship being long lasting, none.
9. Akbar (age 45) and Sheri Cook (44), married educators from Martinsville, N.J.
CBS
A lot to like about this power couple. First, they are educators and from what their bios tell us, difference makers in their community. Love that! Also, they have athlete DNA, being former Division 1 basketball players. Like I said earlier, competitive drive is super important to win this thing. What I like most about Akbar and Sheri is “they know each other”. Being married for 17 years is an advantage any time on this race because you have to depend on your partner and trust them. Plus, after 17 years, they know each others’ strengths and weaknesses which should help them beat at least one team to the mat, maybe a couple.
But, they have reasons for me to keep them out of the top echelon of teams. First, they are former athletes and at age 45 and 44 they are one of the older teams, which I think will eventually catch up with them. I also feel like Akbar looks to be a really tall/big guy which probably isn’t great for plane travel, jumping in and out of taxis, sleeping on floors, and just overall running around the world.
As a fellow educator, I’m inspired by the work these two are doing in their community. I look forward to learning more about them and seeing them race, but I don’t think it will be for very long.
Group B - THE GOOD EXPERIENCE GROUP - These teams will be in for a few episodes at best and when eliminated they will look at each other and Phil and comment on the experience they had.
8. Mike Norwood (36) and Moe Badger (42), singing police officers from Buffalo, NY.
CBS
Athletic. In shape. Partners. Cops. Trust each other with their lives. Watched the show to prepare. Attention to detail. And they sing??
Many things to like about these partners. I like the traits Mike and Moe bring to the race, as police officers, like problem solving and discipline, but most of all I like the trust they have in one another. I think it will protect and serve them in the race.
The down side to Mike and Moe is that cops are not world explorers, they are local guys who serve a community. They aren’t risk takers and people who get out of their comfort zone, they are risk minimizers, rigid, and scheduled. Lastly, cops like certainty in where they work, who they work with, what they have to do, and what to expect on a given day. The race is everything but that.
7. Arun Kumar (56) and Natalie Kumar (28), a father and daughter from Detroit
CBS
I have a feeling that I may be on an island with this ranking of Arun and Natalia, the father and daughter team from Detroit. Here’s how I got there.
They have shirts on that say “Detroit vs. Everybody” which spits an attitude, a drive, a personality or a gritty city.
Arun grew up in India and can drive stick. Ask Leo (s32) about that, it’s important.
This is Arun’s dream to be on the show with his daughter. They are competing for a higher purpose and the chance for them to have the experience of a lifetime before Natalia gets married. Love that narrative.
They are SUPERFANS of the show, been watching for years, this is ALWAYS an advantage over teams that were just on other reality shows or random careers. Super fans do well, see Will and James (s32).
Lastly, Quotes like these:
“He’s literally just driven me my whole life, and we’re super competitive.” - Natalia
“I think I’ve prepared for this race my entire life.” - Arun
That’s how I got them into the second group, the “good experience” group. I think Arun and Natalia will get exactly that and stick around for a few episodes. Could I see them going home earlier? Sure. Making a deep run? Ehhhh, maybe not and the main reason is Arun’s age. He is the oldest competitor in the race. Despite the surface level “I would sign off on being in his shape at 56” body, I still think that the race will take a toll on him. At some point the disadvantage of his age will catch up with him and end their time on the race.
6. Taylor Green-Jones (38) and Isaiah Green-Jones (31), YouTube sensations from Portland, OR.
CBS
TRUTH BE TOLD, I had Taylor and Isaiah inside the next level up group, SLEEPERS, based on their relationship, being married (always a strength), their physical fitness/athletic ability on appearance and seeing their dance moves, but had to bump them down after watching their bio on Insta.
Two reasons.
Lack of confidence - When I watched other teams introduce themselves, talk about why they are on the race, and why they think they will succeed, the teams that I placed at the top all had one thing in common (and even some teams I ranked lower than Taylor and Isaiah), CONFIDENCE. Didn’t get that from them. Instead, I got the feeling that Isaiah is more confident and doesn’t have much confidence in Taylor because Isaiah did most of the talking, and the only thing Taylor shared that he didn’t want to seem like a threat. That’s great, but I think you aren’t a threat.
Trust Questions - At the end of the video there was a back and forth about them trusting each other. Several “you got to trust me” later, I had to bump them down the rankings from a SLEEPER (aka outside chance of winning but definitely a chance) to the GOOD EXPERIENCE group. They said it themselves, they look at this as a second honeymoon, well they may not get to see many places.
Group C - SLEEPERS - “So you’re telling me there’s a chance…”
5. Marianela (37) and Marissa (37) Gonzalez, twins and radio hosts from North Bergen, N.J.
CBS
Twins. I don’t know how many sets of twins there have been on the race, nor do I have the data for how they fare on average, but for my rankings I put them in the top part of the good experience category borderline sleepers. Being twins is an advantage. Huge advantage actually. They have the most unique bond of any team and that has to count for something. They work together as radio hosts, aka they have great personalities and literally talk to people for a living. Who will be better than them at communicating with strangers for help? Nobody. They are good looking like our last pink team, Kaylynn and Hayley, which certainly doesn’t hurt them. They speak Spanish, always helpful. They mentioned being competitive in their Insta bio video and literally finished each other’s sentence. To me, they have an outside chance to win, but will definitely be competitive in the race leaning on their relationship.
So why did I have them outside the top GROUP or the FAVORITES category?
Good question. Based on what I’ve been able to learn about them, I don’t get the vibe of a killer instinct. I value that probably more than the average super fan of the show, but for Lulu and Lala, I don’t see it. I mean even their names are fun and bubbly like their personalities, but I need that killer instinct to crack the top of the rankings. Radio hosts may be competitive, but that’s from a studio with headphones on with them in control of a whole lot. On the race, there will be very little in their control and I don’t think that will play to their strengths.
4. Kim (45) and Penn Holderness (47), internet personalities from Raleigh, NC.
Middle aged internet personalities. Hmmm. Seems like an oxymoron, but as of this typing their bio on TAR Instagram page was at 56.7K views and 180 comments. Far and away the highest total of any team bio preview. They strike me as a team who is willing to take risks and do whatever is necessary to make things happen and get results. You don’t just decide to quit your jobs as news anchors and become internet personalities with 668K + followers by mistake.
Penn is a Winklevoss
They seem fun, outgoing, in shape, and ready to reveal more about themselves than their internet personalities let on. Penn looks like he could be a long lost Winklevoss Twin (or triplet I guess) and Kim strikes me as someone who isn’t afraid to take control of a situation and get done what needs to get done (Chee vibes). I like this team, the vibes, and their chances to be around for a while.
But it’s not all “Likes” with Kim and Penn. They are in their mid 40s and will actually be out in the real world competing which means there are no redos, no filters, and no ability to edit a take that doesn’t go well.
Group D - THE CONTENDERS - We are in it to win it!
3. Ryan Ferguson (37) and Dusty Harris (38), best friends from Columbia, Mo.
CBS
Did you watch their Insta video? If you didn’t, scroll up, click the link, aka their name, watch it and come back to finish reading. This is an incredible backstory. Ryan was wrongfully accused of a crime and spent 10, yes 10, years in prison.
I don’t know that I would be able to see the world as positively as Ryan does after having those 10 years taken from him, but his gratitude for the opportunity in front of him makes me immediately a huge fan. Now, combine that with his childhood buddy, Dusty, being his partner with the attitude of The Amazing Race is an opportunity to make up for lost time, and you may have the team I’m rooting for the most. I just love that story.
Their story isn’t the only reason that they have landed in the top group, THE FAVORITES, in my power rankings. They are both physically fit to run the race and willing to fight to the death to win. I think they mean it when they say that because of the challenges they have had in their lives are real and the power of making up for lost time will propel them through this race, and I think it will take them deep.
Group E - THE FAVORITES - I BELIEVE THEY WILL WIN!
What the favorites represent to me are the teams equipped with the highest level of the aforementioned tools and the teams who, if you ran the race 1,000 times, these teams would cross the finish line first and win the money the most times. Does that mean they will this time? No. But, these are the teams I’m laying my money on to bring it home and cross the finish line.
2. Connie (37) and Sam (39) Greiner, a married couple from Charlotte, N.C.
CBS
“I’m Sam Greiner. My life is a competition. Ever since the day I was born, I wasn’t supposed to make it.” - Sam
Do I really need to say anymore?
Sam is a high school football coach and teacher and because I too am a teacher and have coached high school football for 10 years, in that one quote from Sam, I know exactly who he is, how he is wired, and immediately put this married couple in the FAVORITES group.
Football coaches are all about competition, winning, and preparation. I bet that Sam “watched tape” aka seasons of the show to prepare himself and his team, aka Connie, for the game with biggest stakes of their lives. Add to it that Sam adopted a player of his, his QB1, into his family and they won a state title together, and now the kid is at West Point. Amazing.
You may be thinking, well what about Connie?
She tells us she’s not that competitive which causes Sam to blitz her back by saying
“She’s being humble, she’s super competitive. I visualize, you have to visualize it before it can happen, you know you’re the winners of a million dollars. Just to know that we went through the ups and downs, cuz there’s gonna be struggles through that situation. It’s gonna be amazing to hear that at the end. - Sam
I know I know. That was a lot of Sam, but look Sam and Connie’s deal is Sam is the Head Coach and Connie is his assistant. That’s who he is and the quote above speaks to the type of leader he is for his team on the field, for his family at home, and for his wife on the race. What sealed the number 2 and probably should have been number 1 ranking for me is the way that they are looking at each other when Sam says that quote. Their eyes are locked on each other and the looks on their faces tells me that they believe the vision and the gameplan that has been laid out. Now it’s time to execute on the field, I mean race.
1. Raquel Moore (31) and Cayla Platt (30), flight attendants from Illinois and Florida.
CBS
I am SUPER intrigued by this team. Now, if you are an avid reader of the blog, you’ll know that before Survivor 41 I predicted who I thought would win. I previewed each tribe and broke down each player and landed on Ricard as my pick to win. Here’s what I wrote:
Ricard Foyé - age 31, Flight Attendant from Sedro-Woolley, WA
First thing that stands out about Ricard is being a flight attendant! As a flight attendant your job is to cater to others, make people comfortable, expect the unexpected, and put on a happy face no matter how hard passengers may make it. I like those skills and think they will serve him well. Also, Ricard has goals. Are you listening Shantal? Ricard wants “to be the first brown, gay, hard of hearing winner.” I think he will be.
My point is Raquel and Cayla are flight attendants as well. They possess the same skills and outlook that Ricard does - not afraid to take chances and go outside their comfort zone. I don’t think most teams bring this aspect to the race. As flight attendants they are also extremely comfortable with traveling, advantage Raquel and Cayla, comfortable living out of a suitcase, advantage Raquel and Cayla, and their strategy is a good one
“Our strategy, I think, is to use other people’s judgements of us to our advantage. And I’m pretty sure 90% of the other teams are gonna guess that we’re gonna be the first one’s eliminated, but I mean they’ve never spoken to us. They don’t really understand the depths of who we are as people and what we’re capable of.” - Raquel and Cayla
💥BOOM!💥
Ladies and Gentleman we have our Amazing Race version of Cobra Kai! These flight attendants are snakes in sheep’s clothing ready to strike when their enemy shows weakness and underestimates what they are capable of. These two already mastered sensei Terry Silver’s season 4 of Cobra Kai lesson on weakness in your opponent.
These women are ready to take the many lessons they’ve learned at the dojo and execute. They have what it takes to be an all female winning team. They are competitive, fit, and are comfortable with the lifestyle of the Amazing Race because it so closely mirrors the life of a flight attendant. Lastly, I think they have that “it” factor and tenacity to be a champion.
Best of luck ladies and remember on the race…
Thanks for reading. Until the next time, be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest all season long. The ReRACEables Podcast will be covering The Amazing Race 33 all season long. If you like the blog and podcast, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
The blog has spoken!
